Arizona… Premier Cactus State
This is Arizona, the premier cactus state. It is a revelation to learn that of the world's millions of cacti represented by more than 1,700 recognized species, over one-tenth of the cacti of the entire earth's surface are growing in Arizona, thus qualifying the unofficial designation as "the Cactus State."
Physically Cacti are a distinct family of plants directly related to the general order known as Succulents. All Cacti are succulents of varying forms; however, every succulent is not a cactus. Succulent means “juicy”; and in botany it means plants having juicy tissues capable of storing moisture, making them generally drought resistant.
There are jungle cacti and desert cacti.
The desert branch of the Cactus family represents the most advanced form of a highly specialized group of desert plants called Xerophites (zero-fites), meaning “dry plants.” Xerophitic plants are able to survive many months to several years of great heat and severe drought. This remarkable adjustment is the result of millions of years of evolutionary discipline and adaptation.
Cacti and other desert plants survive the desert because they are extremely different. The reasons are easy to understand once you have thought upon some basic facts of simple knowledge.
All plant life on this earth develops according to the ratio of moisture intake versus an exhaust process called transpiration. If this system of moisture control is in balance almost any plant will grow on the desert. This is illustrated by the fact that the world's finest roses and the nation's top cotton yields are grown on Arizona desert acres through controlled irrigation. Golf courses and verdant lawns are evidence that aridity is the life and death factor on the desert, not solar heat.
When any plant receives too little water, it usually drops its leaves because the leaves have become useless as a means of allowing the sun to absorb the plant's excess moisture. Inversely, when a plant continues to receive more water than it requires, it chokes, rots, suffocates and dies.
In most cases when the necessary moisture is short or normal, a plant's growing processes are suspended and it goes into a stage of coma prior to dormancy, retaining just enough moisture to sustain it through the period of hibernation. Later, as the plant prepares for another cycle of new growth and foliage, the moisture ratio must again be equalized; otherwise death results from complete dehydration. Logically, then, the Cactus grows and survives because it is not affected by the problems faced by other plant forms. It has no leaves because it doesn't require them. Leaves are not essential to the Cactus because there is no problem of excess moisture. The desert Cacti cannot afford to transpire; so, conditioned to make the best of the worst, they live by hoarding the available and very limited water ration. Then by Nature's most efficient processes, moisture is frugally budgeted for long-term survival, a remarkable case of self-discipline, maintaining life and budget in balance in spite of hard times and adversity.
The amount of moisture necessary to keep a cactus alive is next to nothing compared to tropical plants. An average cactus receives as much water in a year as a simple jungle fern transpires in a day. Grass transpires its own weight in water daily; a multi-leafed stalk of corn, more than a gallon a day; while an average productive tree, from one to two thousand gallons a year. By comparison, a fifty-foot giant cactus transpires no more than child's thimbleful a day as its vast reservoir holds enough moisture to survive for several years of extreme drought.
This fact is even more exciting by the revelation that during those dry years the cactus continues to grow, propagate, flower and fruit without interrupting its regular cycles of development, a feat unsurpassed in punctuality by even the most pampered plants whose processes are regulated by fastidious horticulturists aided by costly gadgets, thermostatic controls and miracle food supplements.
The outer walls of most desert cacti are round shapes carved into concave or convex curves and oblique angles to deflect incident light from a different angle every second of the day, thus exposing only a minimal fraction of surface at one time. In addition, the green surfaces are further screened by the network of spines and bristles which effectively reduce the body temperature as much as twenty degrees, cutting humidity loss. Cacti which display unbroken or comparatively smooth outer texture rely on the shade of trees and shrubs for protection. Every inch of the cactus anatomy works to achieve the most efficient system of water conservation found in plant forms. No wonder there is no greater plant phenomenon than the desert cacti.
Lesser wonders, perhaps, but equally remarkable, are the facts behind the triumph of survival achieved by the other desert plants and the desert animals. Other desert plants have modified their leaves so that moisture evaporation is minimal. Some turn or twist their leaves during the hottest part of the day, exposing only the thin edges to the sun. Others may curl or roll up their leaves, then unroll them during cooler hours. Many desert plants have hairy stems and leaves which, in addition to catching and retaining atmospheric moisture, help to shield the leaf and stem surfaces from sun and wind burn. Waxy-leaf plants like the Creosote bush (greasewood) have a varnish-like, shiny coating which reflects heat, while its amazing root systems probe the subsoil to depths of up to thirty feet for moisture. In many cases the breathing pores (stomata) of the leaves are normally on the under side and are equipped with valves that close during the day.
A number of desert plants such as the Smoketree and the Crucifixion thorn have given up their leaves almost entirely and, like the cacti, function through their stems.
IT'S SPRING AGAIN
The Master Magician is up to the old tricks anew! Once more, Thank God, Nature once again awaits in the wings to give another glorious performance. This year portends one of the greatest shows of all time, due to the rains of last autumn, and the past winter's snowfall. The miracle of the desert flowers will reward the traveller fortunate to be on the back roads during the daylight hours.
The signs of spring are everywhere as everything in nature awakens to the magical forces of the renascent earth. The creeks, rivers, lesser streams move with a joyous ambience. The young roadrunner reacts to every sound and movement in range of his keen senses. High in a Kaibab pine top squirrels stretch out of hibernation stupors.
Underbrush on the lower slopes and on the flatlands, quail catch the warm sunlight through the natural camouflage of desert brush. Bright patches of newborn flowers brighten once dismal places off the beaten path, and in the wide open spaces seas of flowers give colorful testimony to the miracle of the season.
On the banks of the lower Colorado a coyote gaunt from a winter of running and a meager diet, scampers happily to the safety of high ground to enjoy his morning catch of young trout.
We rejoice that spring comes once a year. Think what a world it would be if the miraculous change happened but once in a decade, or heaven forbid, only once every century.
CACTUS Continued from page 4
The desert animals, too, have solved the main problems concerned with moisture and heat resistance, each in various degrees of self-sufficiency. For some animals and insects, nature has developed through the same evolutionary necessi-ties an invention called "metabolic water," a highly complex system of extracting or manufacturing moisture from dry materials, including obviously impossible materials such as charred pieces of burnt wood. It's no wonder, then, that some desert creatures survive without ever taking a drop of water.
To conserve the inner moisture many desert animals cannot afford to urinate or perspire, so that all body wastes are excreted in solid form. If the desert seems lifeless during the day, it's because most desert animals don't leave their cool undercover homes till the cooler evening and nighttime hours. Such is the way of life in the desert of the cacti.
Where did the Cactus come from? How did it get to the desert? The fact is, the cactus didn't come from anywhere else in the world. Despite their presence in the scattered areas of the world, all cacti regardless of present naturalization are of native all-American origin. The only thing about the cactus that came from anywhere else is the derivation of its name from the Greek word "Kaktos," designating "a prickly plant."
The history of Cacti is as amazing and exciting as that of Time and the Earth, having had its beginning 50,000,000 years ago in the Eocene epoch. At that time, what is now The Great American Desert was a vast sea-bed whose waters covered an area extending from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic. Along its shores stretched deep, lush, green tropical forests where the first cactus thrived in the moist abundant climate.
In the epochs that followed, represented by millions of years, the surface of the earth changed in unrelenting gradual stages. Great upheavals thrust up the great mountains. The waters receded, then the sea-bed dried out. This was the prelude to the deserts and the dramatic erosion patterns.
The climate changed, too, after the mountains cut off the moisture-laden clouds. Now the Great Drought worked with erosion to shape the earth as we know it. For the land and its plant life it was "Change or Perish." Thus the Grand Canyon, the salt lakes, the great deserts and the Cacti were made by the great drought and erosion.
Of all the plants only the Cacti and the other Xerophites survived the changes. What a triumphant revelation is this miracle called evolutionary adaptation. Nature's processes demanded the strongest discipline from the Xerophites which resulted in the odd shapes and the beautifully bizarre forms familiar to us as the Joshua Trees and other Yuccas, the Century Plant, Ocotillo, the Palo Verde, Mesquite, the Creosote bush, sagebrush and other succulents.
Viewing the colonies of Cacti on the desert landscape, it seems out of the limits of imagination to realize that those forms and shapes represent an uninterrupted movement of change from the epochs of the steaming jungles to the present dry, hot deserts; yet to botanists it is an exciting adventure to discover that every gradation in the evolutionary history of Cacti is alive and growing on the earth today. There are no missing links and no fossil-hunting expeditions necessary to prove the ancestry of the cacti. A fortunate coincidence reveals that in the West Indian jungles a cactus vine called Perskia grows unchanged from its original form, an exact image of the first cactus of 50,000,000 years ago.
Century plants at dusk.
There is much misunderstanding concerning the spines of the cactus; so before introducing you to the main characters of this story, I feel it's not only fair but wise that you get the point of the cacti's spines. Learning about spines this way will be painlessly easy. Spines are the easiest to recognize of the cacti's features. Dead or alive all desert cacti have spines. All cactus thorns are impregnated with a resinous substance which so coats and preserves the hard core that thorns will persist long after the stem is dead. This is the rule but there may be exceptions. However, on the desert the wise live by rule, while to risk proving the exception invites danger.
Without thorns the cactus would be almost undressed, for they constitute a year-round dress. Cactus thorns develop and progress from their bases under the skin. On other thorny plants they develop from the tips. Test the young thorn on a rose bush and feel the soft young tip yield to the pressure of your finger. Don't try this with a cactus, for even on very young plants the tip will be hard and sharp, while the thorn may be soft and yielding from the base.
The number of spines to an areole may be two or twenty. Some cacti have as many as three kinds of spines of various sizes smooth, curved, or hooked. Most thorns appear opaque, while others are translucent, showing beautiful coloring. Several cacti spines are gray-haired over their true color base.
Most Cholla spines are barbed and sheathed, affording an added insultation against wind and heat. Hotter temperatures and extreme drought induce thornier growth, suggesting that the prime purpose and function of the spine system is more that of protection against the elements than against man or beast. If it were not for the thorns and sheaths the cacti would be scalded by the burning heat of one summer day. With its built-on lath-house screen, the cactus air-conditions itself, the spines changing the temperature by at least twenty degrees by day and retaining warmth at night. In the same environment man could not survive a day without special preparation and equipment, for the amount of solar radiation such as is reflected from the desert surface is killing at temperatures of up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Since very little daytime heat is retained in the soil, the hot days are followed by cool-to-cold nights with a temperature difference of as much as seventy to eighty degrees. Thus a strong man exposed to the daytime solar radiation would dehydrate within fifteen hours and perish, while temperature differences of over forty degrees could result in fatal shock. These are strong points for the spine of the cacti.
Remember that resin is highly flammable. Cactus spines ignite easily. One ignited spine will quickly set the entire plant aflame. In a thicket of cacti, fire can spread quicker than you can move. Be careful!
Watch your step on the desert, especially after a rain. If the ground suddenly gives way underfoot, don't press down. You may have caved in the roof of some desert creature's house or tunnel. Desert rodents line their runways and tunnels with the sharp-spiked Cholla stems, and the average leather shoe is scant protection. Use your head; keep your shoes on; and don't put your hands to anything dead or alive, animal, vegetable, or mineral, unless you know what it is and how it reacts to your curiosity. Use a stick for probing. This rule applies to any pieces of interesting looking deadwood you may want to study or take with you. Desert debris affords ideal hiding and breeding places for insects and reptiles. Lesser bugs are a scorpion's pleasure and he wouldn't like your intrusion.
The colors of spring on the Arizona desert includes the brillian blossom of the Beavertail Cactus (Opuntia basilaris).CARLOS ELMER The Pincushion Cacti comprise the Coryphanthanae (kohre-FAN-than-ee) sub-tribe of the Cereus. The flowery-sounding botanical name means "top flowering," a characteristic which qualifies the Pincushion as the little jewel of the Cactus Family. When in bloom the Pincushions are most conspicuous by the profusion and colors of the flowers. At other times they are quite unnoticed by the highway traveler and their acquaintance is better made afoot. Smallest of the cacti is the tiny Arizona Pincushion (Coryphantha arizonica), a native of the Grand Canyon region of northern Arizona. The one-inch ball of the baby Arizona Pincushion and the fifty-foot giant Saguaro represent the extremes of the native Cereus.
Some Pincushions display a pattern of long, usually darkcolored, abruptly-hooked spines in addition to their standard network. These are the true "Fishhook Cacti." A formidable appearance is presented by the Mammillarias, a heavily spiked Pincushion. Only this genus of the Coryphanthanae sub-tribe lacks the outer rib feature of the other Cereus cacti. Instead, the outer surface is a mass of nubs from which develop the aeroles and spines.
The word Hedgehog is used universally in describing several species of Cereus cacti. However, it is most accurately descriptive of the Echinocereus sub-tribe. In many cases the clumps or clusters of stems suggest a litter of hedgehogs rather than single specimens. One of the outstanding examples is the Strawberry Hedgehog, so called because of its strawberrycolored fruit. This cactus can hardly be mistaken for anything else, growing in low to medium height clumps of up to thirty stems, its shaggy, fat-cigar shaped stems densely covered with drooping needle-like spines one to five inches long. Purple or pink flowers appear in March and April, growing from the sides and near the top.
A most attractive Arizona native is the Rainbow Cactus, a single-stem plant three to four inches in diameter and up to twelve inches tall. It derives its name from the effect of the alternately colored spines which lie compressed flat around the stem. Red flowers appear in May.
The most dramatic member of the Cereus Tribe is the one least exposed to the public eye. Like a Cinderella, she's a ragamuffin by day and for a brief period of each year she becomes Queen of the Night (Peniocereus Greggi), the loveliest and the most celebrated of the night-blooming cacti. You won't be apt to find this character of the split personality by day as her offstage appearance is as unattractive as the gray stick she actually looks like, quite unrecognizable growing as in retirement under the cover of a tree or bush. Since the native species has been pretty well depleted by cactus collectors, you almost have to know the right people at the right time to witness the glamorous performance of her annual flowering act. The Queen blooms only at night at night following the hottest days during a twoweek period around the middle of June. Soon after sundown you can actually watch the petals open in a jerky flow of movement. The large blossoms remain open throughout the night, perfuming the air for a radius of 100 feet. A luminous, almost fluorescent, quality creates a glowy effect in the dark. Lasting one night, the flowers close with the morning sun. The belief that the blooming cycle is over in one night is untrue as the period lasts about two weeks. One of the most prolific performers at the Rose Tree Inn of Tombstone, Arizona, pro-The Staghorn Cholla (Opuntia acanthocarpa), also known as the Buckhorn Cholla, may have blossoms that range from rich brownish and orange through crimson to pale green, yellow or red brown, and a bright lemon-yellow, pear-shaped fruit.
“Moon Cereus” (Eriocereus bonplandii) are common to the cactus gardens of the southwest, but not the desert itself. The plants are actually native to South America. As their name suggests, they flower only at night.
DESERT
Strange and inscrutable the desert lies Austere its every mood; Yet peace and beauty here abound In solem quietude.
The White Easter Lily cactus is a hybrid found in many horticultural gardens throughout Arizona. It is a night bloomer and fades shortly after first sun.
SONORAN GARDEN
A rainbow on the desert is truly the Creator's touch. It is a sign of life renewed, and the verdant growth brought forth by these storms is perennial enrichment to man and animal alike. Covering a vast area of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, the Sonoran Desert is like a giant botanical laboratory. Here, in this land of strange climatic conditions and even stranger plants, the astute observer is brought to the sudden realization that these life forms, like man, must balance themselves with their environment in order to survive.
Flaming Prickly Pear (Opuntia Engelmannii) is just one of a large variety. This photo was taken in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson.
CACTUS
Produced seventy-eight blooms in one season, twenty-five of them in a single night. Despite its glamour the plant is a distinct oddity even in the realm of the oddest characters for its frail upper structure is dependent upon a large turnip-shaped tuber-bulb root base weighing from twenty-five to eighty-five pounds. The distinctive form of the Prickly Pear Cactus (Platyo-puntia) is easily recognized the world over. The many species vary somewhat in shape, color, size, and character and dis-tribution of the areolae. Nevertheless, the Prickly Pear Cactus has come to be known as the world traveler of the family. Welcomed wherever introduced, it has naturalized itself into the permanent pattern of its locales, especially in the Mediter-ranean countries. In Sicily they are prized as a chief crop of subsistence for almost six months of the year. The fruits are not only cultivated and consumed as such but are also made into honey, fruit butter, and a paste of the dried fruit. When in season the fruit is available in the markets of the Southwest where it is used as an exotic salad fruit, juiced, or eaten out of hand. Before eating, however, the fruit must be de-spined, slit with a knife and the rind rolled back. Prickly Pear Cactus has been cultivated and used for cattle forage after the bristles have been burned off. Range cattle eat the stems and it is not uncommon to see an animal's muzzle brist-ling with spines, which sometimes result in a tormenting tangle from which the beast unable to free himself starves to death. Used extensively in Western landscaping the Prickly Pear has adapted to domestic cultivation easier than the other cacti. In fact, they thrive so well that they can easily become a pest unless controlled early. Compared to other cacti the life span of the Prickly Pear is short, rarely exceeding twenty-five years; but progressive multiplication accounts for its numbers. Almost as quickly as the stems fall to the ground they take root and grow. Flowers appear in the cool periods of early spring and wilt in a day of heat.
Now meet the "devil" of the cactus characters. Pronounced "choy-ah," Cholla is the common alias for Cylindropuntia. Cholla is a pretty word whether you say it or spell it. In Mexi-can it means "head." In American Cholla means you'll be sorry if you don't use your head and not your hands in the study and appreciation of these notorious but strangely charm-ing characters. Driving through Cholla country during the late afternoon or early morning hours one cannot help but be fascinated by the silhouetted backlighted forms whose outlines seem to glow like bright sparklers etching the dark stems in outline with their effervescent halo. It's a tableau you won't see anywhere else on earth. The desert stage seems strangely alive as each character appears to be stopped in motion, like the dancers in a bizarre ballet. Don't let the charm of the Chollas coax you too close. If you as much as touch them you'll swear they shot the tiny arrows in your skin. Your reflexes register a sensation that suggests the Cholla jumped at you. Actually this is not true. The next time you reach for a Cholla, use a stick. Keep dogs at a safe distance as the extraction of a noseful of Cholla spines is a painful experience for both dog and master.
Most of the larger species are easy to identify. The Buck-born or Staghorn Cholla (Opuntia acanthacarpa) branches like a deer's antlers. Teddy Bear Cholla (Opuntia bigelovii) is more thick-set and compact with plump stems formidably aglow with golden-yellow or greenish-white needles that turn brown-black with age. Tall, with a top-heavy candelabra-like form, are the Chain-Fruit Chollas (Opuntia fulgida), distinc-tive by its droopy, curiously jointed chains of fruit. None of the Cholla fruits are edible. All the Chollas flower. Other Chollas are not so spiny and less conspicuous, such as the Pencil Chollas and Cane Chollas. Although the Cholla is generally unapproachable to man, the plants are fortresses of safety for desert birds and animals. The Cactus Wren builds her nests in the thorny branches . . . not one but several nests which she uses deceptively. The Kangaroo Rat as well as the Pack or Trade Rat line their tunnels and runways with the spiny stems, and the ground squirrels dart in and out of the Chollas with careless ease at lightning speed. Chollas usually appear in colonies where the stems, fallen to the ground, anchor themselves, and containing sufficient moisture, insure repro-duction. Cholla wood is strong but light-weight due to its airy, cellu-lar construction. Choice shapes are much sought after as flower arrangement props and decorative pieces.
You cannot be onstage in the cactus country without meeting the characters that co-inhabit the desert and are usually erroneously called cacti. The most notable cases of mistaken identity are the Joshua Tree and its relatives, the Yuccas, the Ocotillo, and the Century Plant Agave. Joshua Tree Yucca is a clannish character found mostly on the California side of the Mohave Desert, although a few colonies extend over the line into Arizona. These archaic-looking plants like all Yuccas are members of the Lily Family. They bear large flowers in irregular and spasmodic cycles. Since the flowers are not self-pollinating, nature has arranged for the little Pronuba moth to accomplish this important function, while at the same time it uses the flower to propagate its own eggs. This reciprocal arrangement is an exemplary case of interdependence. The Joshua Tree is the eccentric recluse of the desert and for the most part is an enigma to science. Lacking annual rings, their age is uncalculable. An old tree could be from 300 to 700 years old. Since no fossil evidence has ever been found, its evolutionary data broken and incomplete, the Joshua's history is obscure and after a point oblivious.
An in-and-out performer is the Ocotillo (oak-ah-tee-oh). When it rains it leafs; de-leafs during the dry season; then rain again, leaf again. This leafing cycle may repeat several times during the year. During the dry season the Ocotillo is a tall shrub with up to thirty wand or whip-like unbranched stems radiating from its base. These canes which develop in almost straight lines display large thorns set at almost right angles to the stem. Leaves when they occur are small and green. In April and May the Ocotillo sports clusters of flame-like, intensely red flowers from high atop the stems.
Yuccas can be bush forms or trees with either narrow or broad leaves, which radiate from the ground or from a naked stem suggesting a palm. A handsome and familiar specimen is the Soap Tree Yucca, New Mexico's state flower. Spires of wavy white blossoms appear in May and June. The Soap Tree gets its name from the substance of its root and trunk which the early settlers and Indians used as a substitute for soap.
A Century Plant is misnomer for the Agave (ah-gah-vay). Contrary to the common belief that the Agave requires a hundred years to bloom, the Century Plant is ready to bloom after ten years. Then up goes the tall stalk from which develop the greenish-yellow or whitish flowers. After they bloom the plant dies. Tequila and Mescal are made from the leaf bases and the stem of the Agave, and for this end is extensively cultivated on vast Mexican plantations.
Botanically the Cactus Family forms the order of Cactacene (kak-TAY-cee-ee). From this point at the apex of its classification pyramid, over 1,700 species and varieties represent the Tribes, sub-tribes and generic sub-divisions. The three major divisions are classified as Tribes, each one singularly different from the other two by one or more features occurring only within the tribe, which in turn contribute to the identification pattern establishing a distinctive form that is readily recognized.
How does a cactus qualify its position as a true member of the Cactus Family? Why is this point so important? A cactus is a cactus on five distinct points; otherwise it's one of the countless plants which are universally confused with the true cacti.
First, all cacti have areoles (areolae) from which grow the spines and everything else which keeps the order in existence. Each areole is a vital organ and a nerve center. Out of the areole develop two sets of buds, one for flowers, the other for spines or glochids in the case of the Opuntias. Developing from under the skin surface and attached to the tissues, the areole is not easily removed. If all the areoles were removed from the plant at one time, it would die. A close-up shows the fuzzy center from which the spines seem to protrude like needles through the holes in a button. The absorbent button-like pad provides efficient insulation for the sensitive area, for moisture must be kept in and the heat kept out. Nature doesn't miss a trick.
Second, all cacti are perennial, requiring more than one season to mature.
Third, all cacti usually have wheel or funnel-shaped flowers with sepals and petals growing from an inverted bell-shaped tube. In the narrow part of the tube the fruit-producing ovary develops below the flower.
Fourth, all cacti fruit are single celled with the seeds distributed throughout the pulp, like watermelon, instead of separate compartments as with apples or oranges.
Fifth, all cacti have a feature you won't be apt to see unless you're engaged in cactus culture from seed. Their seeds produce two embroyo leaves on germination which are quickly lost in the manner in which a frog drops his tail as soon as he's no longer a tadpole. The Tribe names are: The Pereskiene (Pear-es-kee-ee), the leafy Cacti; The Opuntiese (ob-POON-shee-ee), derived from the Greek describing "a plant with points"; The Cereeae (SEE-ree-ee), the Cereus Cacti. . . cereus meaning "waxy" as applied to a torch-candle or candelabra.
The Pereskicae, being entirely jungle-acclimated are not to be found in the Great American Desert. This being an exposition concerning native cacti, no further reference will be made to the Pereskicae other than pointing out the fact that the distinctive feature of that Tribe is its leafy characteristics.
Important note: Due to the unusual and unconventional construction of Cacti, nomenclature commonly used for botanical definitions is confusing and difficult to interpret for unfamiliar readers who associate a word with familiar local objects. The word stem, in Connecticut, brings a tree or violet to mind, while to those along the Mississippi the slender cat-tails present a visual illustration. Long-steamed roses are universally understood.
With Cactus nomenclature, the form and meaning of the word "stem" is the same as defined in the dictionary, but the visual picture changes. Definitively, a stem is a plant unit which produces buds and flowers. Remembering this, its application to Cacti is easy to interpret. Now you can understand why the The entire barrel of the Barrel Cactus is referred to as a stem. Since the Saguaro is a one-piece structure, any portion of the body, exclusive of the spines, is referred to as the stem, stems, or stem part. In a clump of Hedgehog or Pincushion Cacti each flower-producing Hedgehog or Pincushion is a stem. plants can be started from each stem.
The stems of the Opunticas are the sections which make up the jointed branches. Thus each Prickly Pear pad or section is a stem, as are the sausage-shaped units of the Cholla: New plants can be started from each stem.
Jointed stems distinguish the Opuntieae from the other Tribes. Prickly Pear Cactus and Cholla (CHOY-ah) are the common names for the only two sub-tribe divisions. The Prickly Pear is listed botanically as Platyopuntia. If you remember "Platyopuntia" you have the key to its distinctive shape, for all Prickly Pears are compressed, flat-surfaced pads which are oval, pancake, or tear-drop shaped stens joined together making plants of varying silhouettes, colors and sizes.
Cylindropuntia describes the characteristic feature of the second Opuntieae sub-tribe. Cholla stems are always cylindrical in form, varying from pencil and cane-shaped stems to the more common plump, sometimes almost spherical, sausageshaped outlines.
Both Opuntias are profusely and dangerously armed. In addition to the Cactus Family's standard armament of spines, only the Opuntias display a lesser tuft of sharp, stiff bristles called Glochids, from the Greek word "Glochis" meaning "point of an arrow," which in many cases are more aggravating to humans than the spines. Due to their small size they are difficult to handle even with tweezers, in which case depilatory wax, usually sold in most cosmetic departments, is the more painless method of extraction. Just apply the wax to the area, wait till it dries, then remove.
For the Cereus Tribe, remember the shortest word designates the largest and most complex of the three Tribes. In its eight sub-tribes are the largest and the smallest native cacti. There are no leaves, no joints, and no glochids in the Cereus Tribe. Regardless of the size and shape of the sub-tribes' species and varieties, the main distinctive tribal feature is the ribbed construction which is not found in the other two Tribes. Cereus stems are round, intact, and unjointed after they leave the root-base. You cannot detach a Saguaro stem-arm without breaking the main part of the stem.The stems or arms of the Organ Pipe Cactus grow upward in a radical pattern from the root-base. The Barrel Cactus and the Hedgehogs bell out from an individual ground-level foundation. The direction of growth in the Cereus Tribe is parallel to the main body. Only one sub-tribe of the Cereus lacks the outer rib feature. Instead, it shows a regular pattern of nubs from whose points develop the areoles and spines. These are the Mammillaria, a genus of Pincushion Cacti.
These have been the background notes, biographical sketches, and illuminating highlights. Now on-stage for the featured characters "in person."
The largest and most conspicuous of the Arizona cacti is the symbolic Saguaro (sah-WAH-roh), Cereus gigantea or giant Cereus. Identification is easy by the long, ribbed, columnar stems. The greater specimens with several upreaching arms are the older Saguaros, whose age may range from 100 to 250 years. The smaller single-stem plants are the younger ones. They usually won't branch until they are seventy-five years
Don't feel sorry for the Saguaro that appears to be shot with holes. It's not sick nor suffering from man's vandalism. Therein live the woodpeckers and the elf owl. Each year the woodpecker drills a new home, leaving the old one to less industrious tenants. Inside the hole the Saguaro has produced a sac of cork-like texture from resinous substances, which after hardening forms an air and water-tight pocket inside the stem. The Indians use these sacs for water vessels.
The Saguaro and the Indian have been co-existing friends for centuries. Shelters were constructed from the strong ribs. Fruits are still harvested for food and wine. The Papago New Year, Navaita, from the Papago word "Naiva" meaning wine, begins with the Saguaro's first fruit in June.
The Saguaros are in bloom from mid-May to the middle of July. The time for blooming is later as the elevation increases. Plants at the foot of a mountain will have ripe fruit at the same time that those at the higher levels are showing blossoms. The ripe fruit doesn't last long for the birds have waited long for this dessert.
Desert birds favor the strong, tall Saguaro as a community center. In addition to the woodpeckers and the little elf owl, the Horned Owl perches atop the stems, thinking, resting, look ing. The large nests nestled in the crotch of the stem arms are the homes of desert hawks.
It's not unusual to see Saguaros growing in the embrace of a Palo Verde or Mesquite tree where undigested seeds from bird droppings have fallen to the ground and rooted. Often the cactus is on the south side of the tree.
The best time to enjoy and photograph the Saguaro is when the sun is low, morning or evening, crosslighting the sides, thus accentuating the ribs, while the frontal silhouettes present a provocative study in pantomimes with the older Saguaros porTrying solemn yet majestically stately characters contrasting the whimsical moods and poses of the younger plants.
old. Close observation shows the light-colored, straight spikes which grow from the areoles on the humps of the ridges. Every spike and every inch of the giant cactus is part of a complex system of water storage and conservation mechanics. The fluted stems, trunk, and arms which often rise to heights of fifty feet, contain a huge reservoir of water.
From the exposed skeleton of fallen Saguaros we note the framework which withstands the strongest winds, holding a steadfast, upright position while the thick, resin-covered layers of the outer walls expand and shrink accordion-like in adjusting to the inner quantity of water.
No man-made tank structure in existence can parallel the Saguaro's engineering feat. Although the storage area must be readily flexible, that upper structure is dependent on the most amazing anchor a root system which consists of a strong vertical taproot and a radical pipeline network of long roots and lesser rootlets which seek and absorb the moisture from the ground. The Saguaro can store enough moisture to live for several dry years without once interrupting the cycle schedule of its flowers and fruits which grow from the tips of the stems.
Sometimes the look of the desert is “up” . . . to blossoms, birds, clouds and majestic blue sky.
You won't be seeing many of the Organ Pipe Cactus (Lemaireocereus Thurberii) unless you visit the Desert Gardens and aboretums, for this crown prince of the desert royal family remains steadfast in his native ground, now set aside as the Organ Pipe National Monument near Ajo (AH-hoe), Arizona. These are large column-stemmed plants up to twenty feet tall, with yellow-green stems growing as six to thirty branches curving gracefully upward in wide arcs from a radial pattern starting from the ground level hub. The Indians call this cactus “Pitahaya dulce,” a name descriptive of its deliciously sweet, juicy fruit.
The Barrel Cactus, scientifically classified under the name of Echinocactus, is the simplest of the cactus shapes. Mexicans call it “Visnaga” or “Bisnaga” and the early settlers knew it as “The Traveler's Friend” and the “Compass Cactus.” Stories of how the Barrel Cactus saved many a desert traveler's life by its store of water are legend. Here and there a scarred Barrel's stem now healed and grown over is mute testimony that many of the stories are true. Because the Barrel more than any other cactus inclines its growth toward the southwest, it makes a foolproof compass.
Young plants are almost spherical. Mature Barrels change their silhouette in relation to the inner moisture, usually developing into blunt-nosed, cigar-shaped, cylindrical forms, some growing to an eight-foot height and up to two feet in diameter. Their tough skin, supported by a rugged wooden center core, prevents the escape of moisture. In areas of marked drought, growth may be suspended completely and the plant budgets its supply of water which can last for years of drought. Hence the size of a Barrel is no indication of its age, although an old cactus may be up to 500 years old.
Flowers are borne like a crown around the top of the stem, in a spectacular show of vibrantly vivid spectrum hues and shades. Regardless of the size of the Barrel, the flowers are large, measuring from two to three inches across. Spines are dense, strong and quite interlaced, featuring curved ends on the major spines which straighten as they develop.
The last chapters in the story of the cacti and their desert co-inhabitants may never be written by man as we know him, for the endless process of evolutionary change does not stop here. Of all the earth's plants the cacti have made the best of life and have triumphed in a feat of survival to such a degree toward perfection that today, poised as we are on the threshold of the Space Age, only the cacti are so far advanced that they alone foreshadow the possibility of introduction to the desiccated planets; and they may yet be the ancestors of the forests in the remote epochs of the earth's future.
QUEEN FOR A NIGHT
Arizonans and their visitors are so accustomed to beauty on the grand scale that they tend to overlook the beauty of details. Yet there is uniqueness and wonder to be found in the formation, organization, texture and color of most of the natural elements that make up the larger scene we see and admire.
Eminent artists have suggested that people should "see small" - that they should give more attention to the details of their environment.
A prolific specimen of a night blooming cereus in the backyard of one northwest Phoenix home has provided the opportunity to see this white flower in an unusual and dramatic light.
To peer down its silky throat when lighted from behind through its green calyx, to detect the soft graining of its petals by cross light, or to view a full blossom seemingly radiating light from within, is to heighten one's awe of this beauty of creation.
Being a night bloomer, this cereus is apt to be viewed (if at all), with less distraction from surroundings than other flowers. By setting a camera for time exposure, then concentrating a narrow beam of light from a flashlight on various parts of a single blossom, I have been able to "paint with light" upon film and thus capture a beauty that few have ever seen at least consciously.
From the accompanying series of photos, taken with both 4x5 Speed Graphic and 35 mm. Beseler Topcon cameras, I have gained a new respect for this fragile desert beauty, often referred to as "Queen of the night."
"Who There?"
The Elf owl is the smallest owl in the world being sparrow size, or just about 8 inches in total length. The species was first discovered by Dr. J. G. Cooper on April 6, 1861 near Fort Mohave on the Arizona side of the Colorado River and its present range seems to be pretty much limited to the saguaro cactus belt. Favorite homesite of this avian diminutive is in a cavity in a giant cactus. These holes are excavated by woodpeckers. The elf owl feeds on insects almost exclusively. The two photographs, made at night with a flash, show one as it is about to leave its nest in a saguaro at Pack Base, Saguaro National Monument.
Whether you call them Strawberry Hedgehog, Calico
Out west a favorite practice is To brag about our cactuses, Of which the west not only has the mostest, But also those to skin and clothes Inclined to stick the clostest. Opuntia warts have fuzzy hairs, Some chollas look like teddy bears, While others look like hatracks gone delirious. All love the sun. There's only one That takes night-blooming cereus. Out west we never miss a chance To brag about our cactus plants, A theme on which we may get stuck for hours; But hold your scorn for spine and thorn Till you've seen cactus flowers!
Along the mountain ridges, Across the desert floor; Arms like verdant armor, Stalwarts guard our door. Shading for the lizard, Haven for the wren, Source of inspiration, For past and present men.
Trillions of sun-gold and flame-red faces Decorating earth's desert places Reveal in their brief, flamboyant span To the doubting-Thomas minds of man Mysteries of the Master's plan. To cactus-wisdom mankind should bow, Glorying in the here and now. Refreshed by flower-faith, we should sing, Blessing the message plant-friends bring - All seeds continue blossoming.
There is gold in every sunset, There's a whisper in the breeze. Quiet night birds are calling As they nestle in the trees. Yucca candles, snow-white candles Pointing to the sky, Lending color to the desert With a glow to magnify. Stately pines are swaying Making music soft and still. As silence spreads her mantle Over crag and over hill. There is a hush at every twilight With sunset curtains drawn. While the glow of yucca candles Awaits the light of dawn.
When other plants were dying in the heat, And disappearing, one by one, from sight, You stood your ground, acknowledged no defeat, And patiently and slowly won the fight. When Nature had refused to promise more Moisture, you set your sure and sturdy will, And built yourself a private plant to store Your own supply. It is effective still. You faced the threat and calmly flung your dare At cloudless sky, bright sun, and burning sand. Not for a rainy day did you prepare, But for a dry one in an arid land. In your own way you built for times to be Your best idea of security.
Each month when the new ARIZONA HIGHWAYS magazine comes out, our teacher holds it in front of the class. She reads everything about the beautiful pictures. She says they are the prettiest pictures in any magazine in the country. She says we are lucky to have such a magazine to teach the history of our wonderful country. She is a new subscriber and has only about 18 copies. Our bookstore does not have any old copies. We wanted to buy some for classroom. My class has elected me to write to you. If your magazine will accept an ad, we will pay for it. Just tell us how much it costs. In the ad, we would ask people who have old copies and who would be willing to donate to a classroom, we would ask them to just send us their name and address. We will write to them and find out which copies they have and which we need for our library. WE WILL PAY POSTAGE FOR WRITING US AND FOR THE OLD COPIES. We have organized for the boys to wash-cars and the girls will have a cookie-sale. Please excuse the hole in this paper. It was eaten by a termite. They eat anything made of wood. Our classroom has a bookcase and maybe you would send us your picture so we could name the collection after you. Mahalo (that means thank-you here),
... I want to compliment you and your staff for your December, 1972 issue of ARIZONA HIGHWAYS, both for the pictures and the very thoughtful comments in your editorial. As an active participant in and consultant to the National Mental Health Association, it is refreshing and reassuring to me to learn of your interest in the mental health movement.
ARIZONA HIGHWAYS is without question the outstanding magazine published by any state and its scenery and photography are always superb. But the Dec. and Feb. issues were absolutely superlative and nonpareil! I have been fortunate in traveling repeatedly all over the world, but was always awe-struck during my visits to Grand Canyon and enthralled by Arizona's Painted Desert. Our noble Creator was indeed generous in endowing Arizona with beauty of scenery that is beyond description. Let's hope that 'progress' in the future will not despoil this glorious gift from our Divine Creator.
During a recent visit with friends in Dallas, Texas, I visited the Fort Worth Stockmans Show. The Dow Gallery of Fort Worth displayed two magnificent paintings by Cavagnaro, an artist that I have never heard of. The gallery knew very little about the artist. He does come from Tucson, Arizona, and I was wondering if you could provide me with any information about him. Thank you for your help.
Dear Susan: Your letter is the fifth we have received in one week in the interest of an artist named Cavagnaro. In all truth we had not heard of the artist. But then, there are more things we lack knowledge of than we care to admit. Also being somewhat cynical and slightly suspicious by heredity we feel that artist Cavagnaro's fans are organized to create an awareness pattern for him. Anyway, allowing that we may be grossly guilty of a professional oversight, we invite Mr. Cavagnaro to write, phone or present his portfolio.
I am writing to tell you how much I enjoy the copies of ARIZONA HIGHWAYS which I receive each month. I am always delighted to read them and to look at the marvellous pictures. I'm sure that your magazine has done a lot towards putting the United States in a better perspective in my mind's eye. You see over here our main ideas of the U.S.A. are gained from the films, the press and the news media who invariably present the worst aspects of the United States. So much so, in fact, that until a few years ago, having been brought up on this information I thought that the U.S.A. was the last place on God's earth that anyone would want to live in yet alone visit for a holiday. Then about a year or so ago some friends of mine returned after a trip to the Grand Canyon region and showed me their slides. They spoke of the hospitality they had received and this fostered a suspicion I'd had that not all of the U.S.A. was as bad as I'd been led to believe. Perhaps it's because most films apart from Westerns always depict the affluent city dwellers who seem to embody the worst aspects of behaviour. Anyway, thanks to your magazine and talking to fellow teachers who have taught in the States, I am slowly getting a more balanced picture of your country. I always take each copy along to school and show it to my students so that they too can see that the U.S.A. is not all 'cops and robbers,' skyscrapers and rockets! I think ARIZONA HIGHWAYS is excellent value for the money and it is certainly the best magazine I've come across for the quality of its photographs. I look forward to the remainder of this year's issues.
Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa) adds a golden touch to the rugged shoreline of Canyon Lake. This view is from the Apache Trail, State Route 88. - JOSEF MUENCH The narrow leaves and great yellow panicles of Bear Grass (Nolinia bigelovii), often mistaken for Yucca, are in striking contrast against the Arizona sky. - JOSEF MUENCH
Sincerely - and gratefully yours
CACTUS, ANYONE?
SAGUAROS
KINDRED
YUCCA CANDLES
TO A CACTUS PLANT ALOHA, MISTER EDITOR,
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